RAF Casualties Northolt 6 Oct 40

[Chris Goss]

As a result of an attack on Northolt by the Gruppen Kommandeur of II/KG 76, a number of personnel were killed or wounded. I have Sgt Antoni Siudak and AC2 Henry Stennett killed, AC2 Kenneth Boyns wounded. Some sources say 3 were killed & 2 wounded and was Siudak actually taxying P3120 when it was destroyed?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Here is what I have:

From the book“Poles in defence of Great Britain: July 1940-June 1941”, by Robert Gretzyngier and Wojtek Matusiak. ISBN 1902304543 :
"The most effective Polish fighter pilot from the previous day, Sgt Antoni Siudak, had little time to celebrate his victory. On 6th, about 1.15 pm, he was killed during a bombing attack on RAF Northolt. A single bomber sneaked over the airfield and dropped bombs near a Hurricane of 303 Squadron – P3120/RF-A (58). The explosion killed three airmen, including one pilot – Siudak – and two others were wounded. Two more aircraft suffered damage, including Hurricane P3217/RF-S. "

From the Form 540 of 303 Sqn RAF, available online:
1940-10-06
NORTHOLT
10.30. Enemy attack made on the aerodrome by one aircraft, Sgt, Suidak was killed by a bomb which fall between the hangars. Aircraft totally destroyed.
F/Sgt. Kania rejoined the Squadron from No. 6 OUT.

Please note the time difference between both sources.

The site http://www.aircrewremembered.com/siudak-antoni.html says that Siudak was killed and the Hurricane destroyed while taxying, so implying that he was aboard.

The webspage http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...rmen-6-10-1940 lists no other RAF member lost at Northolt this day outside of Siudak and Stennett

A CWGC search for the Uxbridge Urban district (to which Northolt was attached) shows 12 casualties for 6 October 1940, but none on the airfield or in Northolt:
_ 1 at High Road, Hillingdon
_ 10 in Montague Road, Uxbridge (No 36, 38, 40, 42)
_ one 17-years old girl was injured at Yeading Gardens, HAyes, and died on 10 October at Hillingdon County Hospital.

The closest civilian casualty in Northolt is Joseph Henry Pickering who was injured on 7 October 1940 at Yeading Lane, Northolt; died same day at Hillingdon County Hospital.

[Peter S]

Chris,
According to Miroslaw Feric’s diary there are two conflicting versions of Sgt Antoni Siudak’s death. First says that he received direct hit in his head by a bomb fragment, second that he collapsed on the ground and smashed his head. There was an airman called Mikolajczak (according to my research it was fitter W/O Antoni Mikolajczak 793340) standing on the wing of his Hurricane when Siudak was taxying, so Mikolajczak could have been wounded, but I do not have any confirmation of this. Antoni Mikolajczak later served in various units, ending his career in Polish 663 Squadron.

Peter

[Chris Goss]

Thanks all. I have the attack from a German perspective as being 1305 hrs

[Larry]

I thought its worth mentioning that several websites have suggested that the Ju88 that attacked RAF Northolt was shot down near Leatherhead by 229 Sqn but this is completely untrue, as Chris Goss kindly confirmed to me that the pilot Htpm Storp, the Gruppen Kommandeur of II/KG 76 returned safely and was able to file a report of the attack.

BTW I have thought that this might have been a chance attack, as only one aircraft was involved and only two bombs dropped? So was there a change of plan?

Any representative photos of a Ju88 from II/KG76 appreciated.

[Chris Goss]

Larry
kG 76 was carrying out a series of nuisance attacks that day using cloud cover. This wave consisting 3 Ju 88s & 3 Do 17s were after the Hawker factories but due to weather went for alternative. Storp apparently dropped 4 bombs. Email me if no photos turn up
Chris

[VoyTech]

Chris,
The story is bit confused.
According to 'Historia Dyonu' (a document in Polish roughly equivalent in scope to the RAF ORB Form 540), four men were nominated for the award of Krzyż Walecznych (Cross of Valour) for their actions on 6 October:
1. Sgt Józef Mikołajczyk, who was about to perform gun harmonisation on Hurricane RF-A when the attack commenced, and who stayed with the aircraft under attack, trying to save the aircraft and the pilot Siudak who was inside the aicraft.
2. Cpl Władysław Roubo, who was about 10 metres from the place where the bombs fell, working with Sgt Mikołajczyk to prepare RF-A for gun harmonisation, and who risked his life to save the aircraft by switching the contacts off and stopping its engine at the moment of explosion.
3. F/O Wacław Wiórkiewicz (P.1380), the squadron EO, who was upervising the preparation of RF-A for gun harmonisation, and remained in place during the attack, his example and orders saving equipment from destruction.
4. Sgt Antoni Siudak, who was at the Hurricane RF-A and lost his life while saving it.

It is noteworthy that Mikołajczyk was nominated for the award for saving Siudak who was inside the aircraft, while Siudak was posthumously nominated for attempting to save the aircraft while he was at the Hurricane not in it, and Roubo (not Siudak) was nominated for switching the engine off. I don't think you needed a pilot in the cockpit for gun harmonisation, so presumably Siudak jumped into the cockpit in an attempt to scramble it, but was hit by shrapnel, so it was Roubo who switched the engine off, while Mikołajczyk attempted to rescue the pilot.

Sgt Józef Mikołajczyk was 793411.
W/O Antoni Mikołajczak 793340 was a different man.